Following a dispute between the Order and the Holy See, Pope Francis asked the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta to submit his resignation on Tuesday which the Pope then accepted.

In a Jan. 25 statement, the Vatican said: “Yesterday, 24 January 2017, in audience with the Holy Father, His Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing tendered his resignation from the office of Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.”

“Today, 25 January, the Holy Father accepted his resignation, expressing appreciation and gratitude to Fra’ Festing for his loyalty and devotion to the Successor of Peter, and his willingness to serve humbly the good of the Order and the Church.”

The statement ended by saying “the governance of the Order will be undertaken ad interim by the Grand Commander pending the appointment of the Papal Delegate” — a significant and controversial development in view of the Order's sovereign status.

The confirmation follows comments a spokesperson told Reuters last night, that the Pope had asked the Grand Master to resign “and he agreed.” The Register has confirmed this through other sources, and learned that the meeting was convoked with just two hours notice, at 5.30pm.

The Order's Sovereign Council will vote on Saturday whether to accept the resignation, Eugenio Ajroldi di Robbiate, Communications Director for the Order of Malta, told CNA Jan. 25. Normally grand masters serve for life.

Until then, Festing “technically is still Grand Master,” Robbiate said. He added that given the Order’s constitutional requirement for a Grand Master’s resignation to be accepted, there is “absolutely theoretically” a possibility that Fra’ Festing’s request will be rejected, however, “it’s improbable.”

Robbiate had no comment on the current Vatican investigation into the Order’s dismissal of their former Grand Chancellor, saying “I honestly can’t say” if Fra’ Festing’s resignation would in any way affect the Vatican’s inquiry.

During this period of uncertainty, the Order will be run by its number two, Grand Commander Ludwig Hoffmann von Rumerstein.

The Order of Malta is a chivalric order dating back to the 11th century and the First Crusade. Originally founded to provide protection and medical care to Holy Land pilgrims, it now performs humanitarian work throughout the world, and its two principle missions are defense of the faith and care for the poor and the sick.

Dispute between Holy See and the Order

The dispute between the Order of Malta and the Vatican began last month when Fra’ Festing dismissed Grand Chancellor Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, the Order’s third most senior leader.

Boeselager was asked to resign and, when he twice refused, was dismissed on grounds of insubordination.

The primary issue behind the call for Boeselager’s resignation was that he was deemed ultimately responsible, following the Order’s own internal commission of inquiry, for allowing contraceptives to be distributed by the Knights’ humanitarian arm. The Order also said there had been other "confidential" factors in play, as well as a “failure of trust.”

Boeselager protested the charges, and argued against the manner of his dismissal. He called for his case to be heard by a tribunal of the Order, and appealed to the Pope who then appointed a five-member commission to look into the unusual circumstances of his sacking.

Fra’ Festing refused to cooperate, saying the commission was interfering in the Order’s sovereignty and right to govern its own internal affairs.

On Jan. 10 the Knights again defended their decision to dismiss Boeselager, calling it “an internal act of governance”. The Order added that Holy See commission, which is mandated to complete its work on Jan. 31, was “legally irrelevant” given the Order’s sovereignty.

The Holy See, in turn, reiterated Jan. 17 its confidence in its commission of inquiry and indicated it was awaiting its report “in order to adopt, within its area of competence, the most fitting decisions for the good of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and of the Church.”

Other factors behind this dispute have been allegations of an ambitious German association vying for control of the Order, accusations that the Grand Master was being overly authoritarian, and conflicts of interest among members of the Holy See commission.

Three members of the commission along with Boeselager have also been involved in a $118 million donation held in a trust in Switzerland. The trust denied any connection with the Order, despite documentation indicating the contrary.

Jorge: Please take some notice of my previous comments about calumny and detraction. Your latest post about Father Manelli is entirely unacceptable saying that because it happened many years it must be true.

Anyway what links have you given to this matter?

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Sunday, Jan, 29, 2017 2:22 PM (EDT):

Jacqueline: You should be able to enlarge the type pressing control + or somesuch.

Posted by Jacqueline on Saturday, Jan, 28, 2017 3:56 PM (EDT):

It is almost impossible to join the discussion because the type is 8.5 and very light making the comments almost impossible to read…This site needs a big over haul.

Please explain the three commissioners involved with Boeselager and the 118 million held in a Swiss bank with no connection to the Order of Malta? Are these commissioners from the Vatican or from the Order of Malta? I’m surprised that the Vatican can ignore the sin of distributing contraceptives but does not ignore the sin of $118 million mysteriously deposited in a Swiss bank???

Posted by Jorge on Saturday, Jan, 28, 2017 1:22 PM (EDT):

Concerning Fabiola you are right, I made two mistakes.
The first is that I attributed the (very useful) article you gave me to Casey Chalk, the owner of the blog (but in fact it is not written by him but by Bryan Cross). Venial fault, I hope.

The second is that I overlooked the fact that Fabiola’s penance took place *after* the death of her second husband.
In this detail the Catholic Encyclopedia (Bryan Cross’ one and only source) is right, of course. So my interpretation that St. Jerome allowed her to stay with her husband is not longer sustainable.
That does not change the fact that CE’s (and Cross’) interpretation is extremely apologetic. Fabiola is, in fact, a “divorced and remarried” woman who is venerated as a saint and was accepted by St. Jerome as a holy woman, in spite of his very narrow views about sex and marriage. For apologetics, this was a problem to resolve, therefore the argument in CE.

Finally I looked up the story in the source where it was taken from by the CE, it is Robert Bellarmin’s “Disputationes”, Book twelve, in the middle of the 16th paragraph. I have only the German edition, but I think you can get it in English.

If you follow the arguments Robert tries to respond to and presents himself you will see that he does exactely the same as modern authors do when they want to justify the exclusion of public sinners from Sacraments.
He (not Cross) omits the fact that Jerome accepted the second marriage in his funeral speech and did not repeat the accusation of “adultery” and did not name her or her husband “adulterers”. This is the main point I wanted to show you.

Posted by Jorge on Saturday, Jan, 28, 2017 12:46 PM (EDT):

Hello @Nicolas:
Regarding the Manelli case: Look up the links I gave you in my last posting.
I followed the Italian reporting until december, if there comes anything new it will follow.

The link you give is a supporter report which tries to minimize the current (ongoing) accusations. Manelli was in fact exonerated (to be precise: not exonerated, only freed from persecution because of prescription) from the accusations of sexual abuse of the sisters he touched. That means he probably touched them, but too long ago. Supporters tried to transform this decision into a kind of “victory”, a crazy idea of course. The main accusations are about the money laundering, a completely separate case.
And the third case is the supposed homicide of Fr. Volpi (which we don’t know if or how Manelli is involved, we only know that Volpi was possibly treated with arsenics, criminal investigations running).

And of course there are the illegal (mafia-style) “blood oaths” which appeared in the press in 2015, an accusation confirmed and punished by Vatican authorities in january 2016 (without civil consequences).

Posted by Faith on Friday, Jan, 27, 2017 6:07 AM (EDT):

What a total shame. What has happened in the Church in the past two years is so destructive, incomparably shameful. Praying daily for clarity and Grace to be given to Pope Francis, over all… and to all the Bishops and Shepherds across the world. This divide is a disaster, and all that is going on is unprecedented, and truly disgusting. Way to go Rome. Way to go shepherds. The laity have had it. Black is white, hot is cold, right is wrong, and worse yet wrong is right…. charming. As Our Lady says: Pray, Pray, Pray. Lord, help us.

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 5:37 PM (EDT):

Jorge: What evidence have you got for your assertion that part of the St Jerome/Fabiola was omitted?

As to Father Manelli many accusations have been made against him and he has started proceedings for criminal libel and has been exonerated from these particularly foul accusations by the civil court in Avellino. The latest I have found is at:

As a lawyer myself I would warn you that repeating these accusations when a court has decided they are false, as you have done, could expose you to a suit for criminal libel which you might find difficult to defend as the facts as to their falsity have been already found by a court.

Posted by judy on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 1:13 PM (EDT):

As Father Z.wrote, this is a war by francis against Cdr.Burke. Directly, indirectly, and around him. Dubia is unanswered, the ongoing damage is mounting on. This silence is suffacting the church! We already passed Christmas with Dubia, pray that we may not have Dubia in Easter. Defend The Lord as Cdr.Burke said, we may have to offer much sacrifices for the sins of sacrilege in our church, specially by the clergies!
Pray for Cdr.Burke in every mass! Our Lord is fragile in The Holy Eucharist, we have to protect and defend our sovereign King with all our being! “courage!” as JP II said.

Posted by Jorge on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 12:57 PM (EDT):

Hello @Nicolas,
nice to meet you again (I liked your comments about Germans, another time we speak more about that).

I had to thank you very much for the link you gave me to Casey Chalk’s web site, a very good resource. Of course Chalk is extremely apologetic in his conclusions, he even manages to put Origin as a supporter of the rigorists’ point of view, while everybody knows that Origin defended communion for remarried people as a “good though not scriptual” solution.
But Chalk is very useful because he mentions nearly every case in history which is necessary to discuss in this context, yes.

Referring to the Jerome-and-Fabiola case there were no “mendacious fantasies” in my account. The important thing is that in order to obtain readmittance to the Sacraments she was not forced to leave her (second) husband: she did penance, and then was allowed to stay with him. This is what AL does, and that’s the point of this story (Chalk omits, of course).

In the Manelli case, you cannot blame me because I read Italian press and most people do not.
Blame the fiercy anti-pope journalists who know all this stuff and just do not tell it abroad because it is too shameful for FMI supporters and destroys their common tales.

It is more than one and a half years that the scandal is running and often commented in Italian press. Everybody can inform himself and know about the “convent of horrors” (how they call it) in Frigento and the fact that Manelli was expelled from the Order he founded because of the canonically illegal (mafia-style) “blood oaths” he demanded from the sisters to write with their own blood on a pergament. And that he is on trial because of the criminal activities arround him (big style money laundering, donation extortion with elderly people and illegal immigration deals with young people from poor countries). In Italy he even spoke on television trying (in vain) to defend to defend himself. This was 14 month ago. Today (at least in Italy) everybody knows that he used the FMI Franciscans as a camouflage organization for criminal activities.
You’ll find all the links to press sources and an updated chronology of the scandal on GerWikiDisk if you want.

Posted by jmc on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 11:06 AM (EDT):

Everything I might want to say about this issue has already been said above. What I have to say actually has more to do with a semantic tendency I’ve noticed in all newsmedia lately, and that has to do with the word “spokesperson.” For myself, I absolutely loathe this so-called “inclusive language,” especially now that it has become anything BUT inclusive. Has anyone else noticed that a woman is now always called a “spokeswoman,” but if it’s a man, it’s always “spokesperson”? It’s as if men are viewed as so repulsive that they’ve become “one-who-must-not-be-named.” Enough already!

Posted by Sean on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 7:21 AM (EDT):

The target in this mess is Cardinal Burke. The pope hates is guts. Burke will be removed.
The secondary mission is the takeover of the Knights by the Vatican.
And, of course, there’s the issue of the Swiss money. Follow the money.

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 6:23 AM (EDT):

Jorge: In what way has Cardinal Burke been silenced by this most recent episode with the Order of Malta? I cannot see that it will make any difference.

As to your remarks about the Franciscans of the Immaculate are you able to provide any sources for your assertions? Or should I put them in the same category as your recent assertions about St Jerome and Fabiola which I proved to be false? I.e. mendacious fantasies.

Posted by Jean-Paul Viaud on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 12:11 AM (EDT):

The way of wisdom is to wait and see, or rather, wait and pray for all involved, and the Holy Father in particular. Pray that good comes from this sad affair.

Posted by John Fisher on Thursday, Jan, 26, 2017 12:07 AM (EDT):

This is an attack on the (independence) Sovereignty of the Order of Malta. Putin did it in Crimea. China is doing it attacking the independence of the Catholic Church in China, it did it in Tibet and now the South China sea. Bergoglio did it with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculata, in various diocese where he has replaced bishops with men like himself and in the consistory of cardinals where he has placed sycophants to further the liberal agenda. Liberals cloth their actions in pious and sugary words while being absolutely underhanded and ruthless in pursuit of their agenda. Bergoglio has been schooled in South America when Simon Bolivar and Peron styled themselves as champions of the dispossessed but they brought division, chaos, and death. Paul VI also ruthlessly and wrongly persecuted Catholics imposing a rupture that up to know has been unravelling and yet still pushed. Bergoglio thinks history is written in his favour because he can get away with it. Enough is enough. We are being betrayed by our enemy who clothes himself as an angel of light.

Posted by taad on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 10:59 PM (EDT):

Something is seriously wrong in Rome people. This pope says one thing and then does the exact opposite. He says he doesn’t judge, then he judges. He calls for dialogue, then removes people without dialogue. He says he does not change Church teaching then he changes it by actions, which speak louder than words. Wake up. Something is wrong, this guy can not be pope. God builds, this guy destroys. He is lawless in his actions.

Posted by tomt on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 10:13 PM (EDT):

All these political moves, appointments, shuffling, exiling of prelates and fast track appointments to cardinal who are in line with the liberal agenda of the Pope have been very obvious, nothing new here, simply a smack in the face to Cd. Burke in response to his dubia just the same as he did to Cd. Sarah with the help of his Jesuit aid Spadaro along with the public trashing and interference with another orthodox institution. Interesting read below which includes further damage to the Church.

http://www.onepeterfive.com/can-a-catholic-criticize-the-pope/

Posted by jon on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 8:56 PM (EDT):

Francis preaches mercy (albeit without repentance) and avoidance of rigidity. His purging of traditionalists is unmerciful and rigid.

Posted by Robert on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 6:12 PM (EDT):

This whole episode is troubling. More cleaning house at the Vatican. From all I’ve heard about Fra Festing, he is a decent, faithful, and orthodox Christian gentlemen. His dismissal is unprecedented. As for disagreeing with the method of his dismissal of the Grand Chancellor von Boeselager, remember this is the Military and Hospitaller Order. We should not be surprised when a Military Order uses military discipline. I hope the Holy Father reinstates him, I mean, wouldn’t that be merciful?

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 5:37 PM (EDT):

@Judy: You ask where is Cardinal Sarah - a good question. His book ‘La Force du Silence’ is due out in English in April. I can only say that he discusses at length our proper response to evil in Chapter four entitled “The Silence of God in the face of the unleashing of evil”. I cannot really summarise what he says in full. But he says that the mystery of evil is irrational and it is therefore very difficult for man to know how to confront it. We must look to the cross and pray first. Christ will give us the means to confront evil; reacting without Christ can be a revolt which just makes matters worse. We must not separate ourselves from Christ and the Church.

Paragraph 290 reads:

Wishing to master everything, to put all into a revolt, man runs the risk of not giving any place to God. Man finds himself alone in his limitations and his impotence. Thus Man without God is lost. Without faith lived in silent confidence, man turns away from God and from his Redeemer.

All I can say is that his book requires deep study to understand his view. It is forceful stuff.

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 5:17 PM (EDT):

@Jean: And what evidence have you that the Order of Malta is a swamp as you suggest in your defamatory remarks? Or are you just a troll?

Posted by Robert Fischer on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 4:44 PM (EDT):

To “Voice” who wrote: “(We)must put our trust in our faith leaders.”
I will quote Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest USA presidents ever: “Trust, BUT VERIFY.”
Pope Francis is ignoring the sovereign status of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and is despotically taking it over? Yep, sounds like what a communist would do “for the common good,” which Pope Francis I likes to say regularly. And since when did true Catholic “faith leaders” start inviting renowned advocates of contraception and abortion like Paul Ehrlich to speak at Vatican conferences, while punishing actual faith leaders like Raymond Cardinal Burke?

Posted by Will Walsh on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 4:32 PM (EDT):

So far as I can tell the problem is likely to be that Fra’ Festing did not comply with the Vatican’s wishes regarding how to handle the matter of the Grand Chancellor, then refused to cooperate with an investigation, and now has understood his own resignation to be either necessary or for the best—I can’t really tell which and can only hope it is the latter. I’m sorry that so many posters are reading more into this than appears warranted by what has been reported. Perhaps they are privy to facts which I am not, but lacking such myself I think the notion that the Pope has asked for the Grand Master’s resignation because he was too orthodox in his expulsion of the Grand Chancellor is at best an unproven thesis. If the Pope were as people say, I doubt the matter would have been handled as it was.

Posted by Lynda on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 4:27 PM (EDT):

Seems a bit over the top considering all the Catholics for Choice etc and dissenters in Catholic teaching posts who are never removed or bothered with interference from the Vatican.

In that sense it seems the opportunity to show Cardinal Burke up was too good to miss.

Posted by Kim on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 4:02 PM (EDT):

Wow, we might have an emperor pope! Who crowned him?
Well learned tactic from Latin America!
What’s next?

Posted by Jorge on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 2:56 PM (EDT):

@Jean:
Cdl. Burke will stay where he is (a “Cardinal Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta”). He can stay there in peace where he can cause no more damage now.

This is probably the most intriguing clue of the entire episode.
The Pope resolved Burke’s intrigue without needing to touch him at all.

Posted by Jorge on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 2:39 PM (EDT):

@Jacques, pls do not repeat these false legends about “poor Immaculate Franciscans”.

Manelli is on trial for beeing the “spider” (not my words, police saying) in a mafia-style network.

About Volpi’s case (supposed victim of a homicide) is a judicial inquiry running, too.

The Franciscans (esp. the sisters) are much better since their founder has gone; no more dead monks in well shafts appearing (google Matthew Lim).

This was not a decent thing to be done by the Vatican. The Order of Malta has been completely destroyed by Francis’s actions just like he destroyed the FFI. He destroyed their legitimate independence. He should not have accepted the resignation order it was not a suggestion. He should have resisted him to his face. Right Voice we can’t cast aspersions on our alleged Beloved Dear Leader but its OK for HIM to cast aspersions on EVERYBODY including our new President Donald Trump. He said last summer Trump was not a Christian and offhand said he was like Adolf Hitler. All you Papal Defenders had better wake up soon he may soon come after you too.

Posted by James Hart on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 2:28 PM (EDT):

Clearly, this is Pope Francis’ way of trying to eject conservative Catholics from the Church.

Well, I got the message soon after he was elected, and I’m very happy that I’ve left the Catholic Church for good.

No more Francis!!!

I’m free at last, thank God almighty, I’m free at last.

Are you going to publish my comment or remove it because others here will agree with me.

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 1:54 PM (EDT):

Botolph: I think you may have got the order of events wrong. My understanding is:

1. Festing asked Boeselager to resign.
2. Boeselager refused.
3. Festing ordered Boeselager to resign as a matter of obedience.
4. Boeselager refused.
5. Festing met with the Pope who agreed that Boeselager should resign.
6. Pope Francis had second thoughts and wrote to Festing to say that it should not be said that he the Pope asked Boeselager to resign but that there should be dialogue.
7. Pope Francis announced a commission consisting of members of the Order without consulting Festing to investigate the affair.
8. Naturally Festing replied that the Pope had no authority in the matter.
9. Whether or not the commission reported we do not know but Pope Francis then required the resignation of Festing.

I stand to be corrected if this sequence of events can be shown to be wrong.

As I have said elsewhere this is a dispute about whether the Order is a religious institution doing charitable work according to the teaching of the Church (Festing’s policy) or whether it should become a purely secular NGO (Boeselager’s policy).

The irony is that bringing the Order directly under the Pope might suggest a more religious policy but it can equally be interpreted as Pope Francis putting up a signpost to undermine the Churches teaching on contraception as in Humanae Vitae. Only time will tell.

Posted by tomt on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 1:02 PM (EDT):

This is nothing more than pure left wing politics and a slap in the face to Cd. Burke.
Further proof that the Pope is nothing more than a vengeful, retaliatory, left wing liberal who will stop at nothing to get his own liberal agenda in place. He has managed to divide the Church in a way I have never witnessed. The liberals decimated all but a handful of Catholic traditions and now with elimination of the legalisms he despises and trashed councils of Trent they will finally have the protestant Church they have trying create for fifty years. St John Paul tried to keep the Jesuits from going to far left, it is a shame he was not successful. Pope Bergaglio may not have finished his doctorate in theology in Ireland but he learned well in Argentina how to play politics. Perhaps that is what it is all about, what we want not what God wants.

Posted by Judy on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:50 PM (EDT):

Where is CDR. Sarah?
We need his voice more than ever!
Please let us know where about him!

Posted by Nicolas Bellord on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:48 PM (EDT):

What on earth is a Papal Delegate in this context? It looks as though the Pope may be thinking of appointing a new Grand Master himself. I pray and hope that the Grand Council do NOT accept Festing’s resignation.

Posted by Voice on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:47 PM (EDT):

Glad to hear Fra’ Festing acted out of proper obedience to the Holy Father. We pray for him and for all to heal and return to the Lord’s vineyard. We pray that all who read this will respond in charity and not conjecture or aspersions toward the Holy Father or others since there is much here we do not know and must put our trust in our faith leaders.

Posted by Botolph on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:28 PM (EDT):

While this article is well written it has not brought in some of the more complex aspects of this sad situation. In other reports when the situation concerning the Chancellor was brought to Pope Francis’ attention he called for the case to be handled gently and with dialogue. That was not done. Instead, the Chancellor was not simply ‘fired’ from his position but expelled from the Order. When communications from the Vatican were remade to clarify any possible misunderstanding that this was not what the Pope desired, the case was considered closed. When the Vatican Secretary of State set up the commission to investigate, the Grand Master stated twice that the Vatican had no right to interfere and that the Order would not cooperate. That is an extreme response and extremely sad state of affairs. IMHO the handwriting was on the wall for the next shoe to drop.

As to any similarity with the sad situation with the Knights Templar in the 1300’s the only similarity is that we have an equestrian Order and a Pope. One writer has sort of projected the loss of the sovereignty of the Vatican City State as a ‘payback’ for this ‘injustice’ to the Knights of Malta. That is a fascinating read of history because it was precisely because the papacy in the 1300’s was not independent of any human kingdom or state that Pope Clement gave in to the pressure of the King of France to suppress the Templars so the King could get all their money. We really do need to both read history correctly and then learn its lessons.

Posted by Tambe Tmabe on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:26 PM (EDT):

For how long with Catholics put up with this despot in the name of Francis? He has destroyed the Order of Malta. This man will go down in history as the worst Pope of the Modern era. What a disaster as Pope.

Posted by john spizziri on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 12:20 PM (EDT):

ah! money involved with a knightly order. Jacques De Molay, pray for us!

Posted by Jean on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 11:26 AM (EDT):

This is a good, first step to “drain the swamp” at the Grand Order. The next step should be the termination of Cardinal Raymond Burke who is the Vatican’s Delegate at the Order. Once these two very controversial men are gone, the Order can start focusing again on its real mission: helping the poor with all the wealth the Order members possess.

Posted by Brian Miles on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 10:56 AM (EDT):

Papal delegate to head the order…hmmmm, where have we seen that before? Oh yes! That’s what happened when someone decided the most thriving traditional monastic order in the world needed to be stopped dead in their tracks.

Posted by Iron E. on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 10:52 AM (EDT):

The irony is that, in the end, communists/socialists/marxists/liberation theologians all show themselves to be more lovers of money than even Judas Iscariot was. Pope Francis’ suggested solution to the world’s problems is money; thus, it is not surprising when Pope Francis and his collaborators show themselves to be lovers of money, even though he claims he does not have or care for money (most poor people are lovers of money, even though they do not have it; marxists/liberation theologians serve mammon rather than God). This is textbook Pharisee. And, it would not be surprising if the Lavander Mafia is behind some of these shenanigans. They have to support their cocktail parties somehow.

Posted by Jacques DUMON on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 10:48 AM (EDT):

Amazing and suspicious resignation since until now the Vatican’s investigation looked like it was flagrantly overstepping the Order’s sovereignty.
Will we look again at the same bad movie in which the Vatican played the villain eagerly working into the destruction of the order of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, invoking false and insulting pretences mainly aimed at his founder Fr Manelli and his family? Those were proven blatantly false in a civil trial where the Vatican’s commissar, Fr Volpi (who died shortly after) was sentenced to financial reparations.

Posted by Jean-Paul Viaud on Wednesday, Jan, 25, 2017 9:27 AM (EDT):

The Grand Master acted with honor, showing the example of obedience when asked to quit his position. He is truly a knight of honor. Hopefully, his sacrifice will be for the good of the Order and, foremost, the Church. But the last time a Pope, and a King, attacked a knightly order, and we know which one, they had to give an account of themselves to God in the following year. The Vatican, by its undermining of the sovereignty of the Order, may have lifted the first sod of its own demise as a sovereign state. That would be a modern way of giving account for their actions.

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Edward Pentin began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax,Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Edward is the author of “The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family”, published by Ignatius Press. Follow him on Twitter @edwardpentin